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Terabyte
- Transporter = - Rock borer = - Water carrier = }} |-| Cartoon = - Transporter = - Rock borer = }} }} The '''terabyte' is a species of eusocial insect native to the Central Desert of Pangaea II in 200 million AD. A terabyte colony lives in a large "tower" which they build, and is composed of a number of different castes, each with its own role to play. Evolution Biology Behaviour Castes Queen There is only ever one queen in any terabyte colony, and her job is simply to breed, producing more terabytes of every caste. Builder Terabyte builders construct the towers which colonies live and farm in. Builders gather sand grains, carcasses of their comrades, and their own feces, and cement the particles together with a secretion produced in their internal chemical factories. Transporter The transporters are the most important caste of terabytes. They do not have a single specific purpose, but as they are the only caste with functioning legs, they are an essential part of terabyte "society". Their main function is, as their name suggests, to transport members of other castes to where they need to be, but they also perform other tasks such as cutting algae from garden worms which have been immobilised by gum spitter. Gum spitter The gum spitters, glue spitters, or warriors exist for attack and defense. Their large heads generate chemicals which can be squirted from nozzles to fight enemies and secure targets. Their most important purpose is to spit glue at garden worms, immobilising them and allowing transporters to harvest their algae, which is essential for the herbivorous terabytes to grow food. They may also fight off other terabyte armies. Rock borer Rock borers closely resemble warriors, with their disproportionately large heads. The reason for their head size is the same: they produce a chemical, a type of acid, which they use to soften limestone rock and carve out tunnels, shafts, and chambers to reach subterranean water reservoirs. They are aided in this by biters. Biter Members of the biter caste have large, powerful jaws, which they use to bite through limestone which has been weaked by rock borers, creating tunnels to the water reservoirs. Water carrier Water carriers have a dramatically different appearance to other terabytes, with tiny heads and translucent striped bodies which become enormously distended when they are full of water. Once placed near a reservoir, their job is simply to drink and drink until they are full, when the transporters bring them back to the tower and place them in the algae farm, where they eject all their stored water to hydrate the algae. Ecology Terabytes farm a variety of green algae found in the Central Desert in their towers, using it as nourishment for the whole colony. Although herbivorous animals, terabytes must attack garden worms to obtain the green algae in the first place, as it grows on the worms fleshy lobes. To get the algae, terabyte gum spitters immobilise the worm whilst transporters cut off pieces of its algae-filled flesh, a process which does not seriously harm the worm. Garden worms are not entirely defenseless, however, and like the terabytes they can secrete a natural chemical, one which dissolves the glue spat by warriors, allowing them to escape. Terabyte towers Appearances In the documentary In "The Endless Desert," a terabyte colony is shown succesfully harvesting some algae from a garden worm, collecting water from the underground reservoirs, and farming algae in their tower. In the animated series Major appearances In "The Future Is Underground," a terabyte transporter seeks equality with the arrogant warrior who he has to carry around. Despite his position, the transporter seems to be more competent than the warrior, as demonstrated during a failed garden worm hunt. Meanwhile, C.G., Ethan, and Emily, who have been miniaturised, make their way into a terabyte tower in search of water, but their radio draws the terabyte's attention and they are and chased around the tunnels until the terabytes accidentally attack each other. The arrogant warrior is blasted off his transporter's back, so the crew leaps on and rides the transporter back to the surface. In "Night Crawlers," a rock borer named Torq is curious about the world outside the tower, and has a feeling that something life-changing is coming. His feeling proves to be correct when a meteor shower occurs, leading to several meteors striking the desert and destroying the terabyte colony's tower. Torq, his carrier Tog, another rock borer and carrier, and a warrior named Triad and his carrier escape via a new tunnel to the surface bored by Torq, and the colony migrates to a new tower. Minor appearances In "Swimming With Slickribbons," a couple of water carriers and transporters are seen in the underground reservoir where Philo and Polly the slickribbons live. List of appearances *''The Future Is Wild'' **1x01. Welcome to the Future **1x10. The Endless Desert *''The Future is Wild: A Natural History of the Future'' *''The Future Is Wild'' animated series **1x09. The Future Is Underground **1x13. Night Crawlers **1x19. Swimming With Slickribbons (cameo) In other languages *Japanese - terabaitsu (テラバイツ) Category:Animals Category:Invertebrates Category:Insects Category:Organisms of 200 million AD Category:Organisms of Pangaea II Category:Organisms of the Central Desert Category:200 million AD